


Be My Valentine

by thatmitchsentho



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, beca is such a fucking smooth shit, game on lock and all, mystery admirer au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-27 16:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7626544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatmitchsentho/pseuds/thatmitchsentho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Romance is in the air. It starts with a box on Aubrey Posen's doorstep. And a promise of gifts every day leading up to Valentine's Day. Aubrey can't figure out who would go to this much trouble for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be My Valentine

Aubrey Posen emerged from her bedroom on Monday morning to find her roommate Chloe at the kitchen counter. She was drinking coffee with a box sitting on the counter. It was white with a red ribbon wrapped around it.

"Morning," Aubrey said. "What's with the present?"

"Don't actually know," Chloe said. "It's for you."

"What?" Aubrey said. "Who's it from?" She came over and saw that the tag simply said her name.

"I think you should open it," Chloe said. "It was just sitting on the step this morning." Aubrey carefully untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. She lifted out the tissue paper and saw a small, ornate music box. One of the old ones like she'd seen in her mothers study as a kid, with a tiny pianola roll inside. She twisted the tiny crank handle and smiled as it began to play a twinkling song. She listened for a few moments before she recognized the song as La Vie En Rose.

"It's beautiful," Aubrey said. She lifted the tissue out to see if there were any more clues as to who had sent it. There was an envelope inside and on the front it simply had written 'Be My Valentine?'. She opened it and found a typewritten letter.

_Dear Aubrey_

_Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I would honestly like nothing more than the chance to be your Valentine. My plan is to leave you something every day until the thirteenth. Then I'll knock on the door at 7:30pm on Valentine's Day. If I've done enough to catch your interest, answer the door, and I'll take you out for the night. If not, simply don't answer and I'll leave with no hard feelings._

_Your secret admirer_

"Chloe, do you know who it is?" Aubrey asked immediately.

"No," she said. "You're not going to like, obsess and track them down before they're ready?"

"No," Aubrey asked. "Because they're right, the mystery is nice. But... is it wrong for me to hope it's at least a girl?"

"No," Chloe confirmed. "I hope it's a girl, for your sake, as well. God Bree, if it's a guy..." It wasn't exactly common knowledge that she was gay, and having some poor guy show up to try and court her would be disastrous. She put the note back in the box and picked the music box back up. It really was beautiful. She smiled to herself as she wound it to play again.

Aubrey couldn't get the smile off of her face for the whole day. She hadn't dated much since coming to Barden, but that didn't mean she wasn't averse to the idea. It could get lonely as a single girl during college, if it hadn't been for Chloe and the Bellas she would have been downright miserable. And a couple of the girls at Barden had caught her eye, definitely. If she were more confident in herself from a non-academic standpoint she'd have considered asking a few of the girls on dates. But she wasn't, and this whole mystery admirer thing made her feel... Happy. And hopeful.

The next morning she woke up to an envelope at her front step bearing her name. She opened it and read the simple card.

_Breakfast this morning is on me. Cafe Venus. They're expecting you._

She smiled and tucked the envelope into her book bag. In a way, it was a clue. Because Cafe Venus was her favorite place to stop and grab something before heading to campus. So whoever the mystery benefactor was, she knew a little about her routine. She pushed the door open to the café, and one of the regular waitstaff came over.

"Let me show you to your table," the friendly girl said. She ushered Aubrey to a seat in the back, where a table held a small vase with a single lily. "I'll bring your breakfast out." It felt a bit odd, but Aubrey waited patiently. First was a cup of coffee, then a bagel, and some granola and yogurt. As she was finishing it off, the waitress brought over another cup of coffee in a to-go cup.

"Thank you," Aubrey said.

"I gotta say, this is really romantic," the girl said. "And don't worry, I'm not going to ruin it and tell you who it is. But I wish someone went to all this trouble just to tell me they were into me and take me out."

"It's fun," Aubrey said. "But I'm a little nervous."

"You shouldn't be," the girl said. "She's sweet, and I'm not really into girls but she's totally cute, and she obviously digs you." Aubrey breathed an internal sigh of relief. It was a girl. That meant there'd be no awkward conversation when she had to explain to some poor guy that she was a lesbian.

"Thanks," Aubrey said. "See you tomorrow." She got up and left the table, taking her coffee with her to class. While she waited for everyone else to show, she pulled the envelope out of her bag. There were no discernable marks, nothing to give her any more clues. She unfolded the card again anyway, running her finger along the typeface. She wondered who could possibly like her enough to go to all this trouble, especially with no guaranteed payoff at the end.

The next morning there was a Bellas practice first thing, so she wasn't expecting that day's envelope to be at her door that early. She and Chloe mused about what it might be while they waited for the rest of the Bellas to turn up. She didn't have to wait long. There was a box at their door when they got home after practice. Chloe smirked and unlocked the door. Aubrey picked the box up and followed her. The envelope on top was the same as all the others - simple, nondescript.

_I know you're not technically a doctor yet, but you will be. You're the smartest person I know, and I'm not just saying that as lip service. I hope you don't already have one of these and that the color choice is okay._

She opened the box and her jaw dropped. This felt like way too much money on a gift she should be accepting from someone she didn't know the identity of. And she didn't have one yet. It was a professional grade stethoscope in Caribbean blue. Those bastards weren't cheap, and this one would have cost over two hundred dollars easily. She took it inside, where Chloe was waiting.

"What's today's installment?" Chloe asked. Aubrey held up the stethoscope. "Bree, aren't they crazy expensive?" Aubrey just nodded.

"I mean, I appreciate the gesture, but it feels like too big a gift," Aubrey said. "I wonder who it is. I mean, so far they know I'm about to go into med school and they also know my favorite café, and they've got a couple hundred dollars spare for a gift."

"I don't know," Chloe said. "Wow."

"This isn't just some cutesy thing anymore to me," Aubrey said. "This person's pretty serious."

"Does it scare you?" Chloe asked.

"A little," Aubrey said. "I haven't actually dated anyone since freshman year, Chlo. And I know the note said I don't have to go out with them… But it'd be stupid to turn down someone who does this sort of thing."

"Have you had any thoughts about who it might be?" Chloe asked.

"No," Aubrey said. "I mean, it's not like my social circle is too vast to narrow down, but there are no clues apart from what they know about me."

"But maybe that's a bigger clue than you think. What are you going to do?"

"See how it goes?" Aubrey suggested. "I mean, maybe the closer Valentine's gets, I might pick up a hint." Chloe just nodded. Aubrey took the stethoscope into her bedroom, and pulled open the bottom drawer of her nightstand. Inside sat the music box, and she put the stethoscope inside next to it. She again wished she knew who would go to this much effort for her, and the thought plagued her long into the night.

Aubrey slouched through the door the next night with a furrowed brow. She hated Thursdays with an almighty passion. She left the house at 6:45 and didn't get back until 7:20, and at that point she was always exhausted and often didn't even manage to eat dinner before she finished studying and crawled into bed. She only ever managed to eat if Chloe put it directly in front of her, if she was even home.

She was home tonight, and she also had Beca with her. This wasn't unusual, they were pretty good friends. She liked Beca, anyway. Initial clashing aside, the brunette was interesting, easygoing and thoughtful. And she was definitely someone Aubrey would have considered asking on a date if she'd had even the smallest shred of belief that Beca would say yes. They were sitting on the couch with Beca's laptop open in front of them, and they looked up as she walked in. She offered a half hearted wave as a greeting.

"Dude, are you okay?" Beca asked.

"Long day, headache, but yeah," Aubrey said. "And plenty of study to do before I call it quits for the night."

"Well, we were gonna play around with some mixing stuff," Beca said, "but we'll do it some other night. Don't want to make your headache worse."

"It's fine," Aubrey said.

"Don't be stupid," Beca said. "How important is this study? Coz it's not gonna help your headache any. And vice versa."

"And have you eaten dinner? We've eaten, but do you want me to make you something?" Chloe asked. Aubrey was about to respond and assure her it wasn't necessary when there was a knock on the door. Aubrey sighed and walked over to answer it.

"Uh, is this the Posen house?" a youngish man asked.

"Yes," Aubrey said.

"Awesome," he said. "Got an order of pho and egg rolls for Posen here."

"Um, I didn't order that," she said.

"Nah, I know," he said. "But it's been paid for and I'm supposed to give you this." He handed her the bag and then dug an envelope out of his pocket. Aubrey had completely forgotten about the secret admirer during her shitty day.

"Thank you," she said. He retreated down the hall and Aubrey brought her haul inside.

"Ooh did your secret admirer send you dinner?" Chloe said.

"It looks that way," Aubrey said. She opened the envelope.

_I know Thursdays are rough on you but you should still eat properly. Take care of yourself. Hope you're hungry._  
  
Aubrey felt like she was going to cry. She was exhausted and starving and whoever this person was, they were being sweet and thoughtful and they obviously knew her pretty well.

"You have a secret admirer?" Beca said as she unpacked the food and began eating at the kitchen counter.

"It's really romantic," Chloe said. "They're going to send thirteen presents and then on Valentine's Day they're going to show up and take her on a date."

"It's not like, emotional blackmail? Feeling obliged to go out with them because you've gotten these gifts?" Beca said.

"No," Aubrey said. "If I don't want to go out with whoever it is, then I won't. They said if I don't answer the door they'll just leave with no hard feelings."

"And are they successful in wooing you so far?" Beca asked. "Coz you look like you're gonna cry into that pho."

"I'm exhausted and starving so this pho is looking like heaven right now," Aubrey said. "And yes. It's obviously someone who knows me because they've picked really great gifts."

"The first was this beautiful little music box," Chloe said. "Then it was breakfast at a cafe and yesterday it was a stethoscope for when she goes to med school. And now dinner." Aubrey was eating the pho ravenously, and swallowed before speaking again.

"But it's more detailed than that," Aubrey said. "Because the cafe was my favorite cafe and they ordered the things I like, the color of the stethoscope was my favorite color and pho is my favorite takeout. Chlo swears she doesn't know who it is but there can't be that many people who know those sorts of things about me." She returned to eating and Beca seemed satisfied by those answers. She made short work of the meal and then declared she still had study to do.

"But it'll be ten times easier now that you're not hungry," Beca added. Aubrey nodded and threw the trash away. When they heard the bedroom door click closed, Beca turned to Chloe.

"Hey Chlo?"

"Yeah?" she said.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked.

"Haven't I kept all of yours so far?" Chloe said.

"Grab my bag would you?" she said, and Chloe leaned down to tug her messenger bag up off the floor. She passed it to Beca, who rummaged inside, pulling out a notebook and passing it to Chloe. Chloe opened it, reading with interest until the subject of what she was reading registered with her. Her eyes shot to the brunette, who looked quite nervous.

"Oh my god!" Chloe exclaimed. Beca gave her a murderous glare and gestured for her to keep quiet. "This is all you?"

"Uh, yeah," she said awkwardly. "Too much?"

"Since when are you into Aubrey?" Chloe said in a low tone.

"It's hard not to be into Aubrey," Beca said. "She's pretty incredible. I guess it's been a long time but she's also kinda intimidating. I could never really tell if I'd be in with a chance or not. But I figured it's time to sack up and have a shot otherwise I'll never know, you know? I've been planning this for months, dude." Chloe was beaming at her.

"I can't believe it," she said. "Beca, this is adorable."

"So am I actually kidding myself with this thing or what?" Beca asked. "Because if there's no chance I need to prepare myself for what happens when she doesn't answer the door."

"I don't think you're kidding yourself," Chloe said. "Aubrey's never exactly forthcoming with discussion about people she's interested in, but you're a girl and you're demonstrating that you know her well, which is the hard part done."

"Okay," Beca said. "Can I show you what I've got lined up?" Chloe nodded eagerly and Beca took the notebook back. She quickly showed her the rest of her plan. When she was done, she stuffed the book back in her bag.

"Beca, I had no idea you even knew these sorts of things about her," Chloe said.

"I pay attention, Chloe," she said with an eye roll. "I've been filing these things away all year. How much do you think she knows about her admirer?"

"All she knows is that you're female," Chloe assured her. "The waitress from the cafe told her you were a girl but nothing else."

"Yeah, Kelsey and I have music history together," Beca said. "She's pretty chill."

"Well your secret is safe with me," Chloe said. "I personally think you guys would be a cute couple."

"And if things are going way off base, can you give me a heads up?" Beca asked. "I don't want to blow this."

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I've got you."

The next day Aubrey opened the front door and found another box on her doorstep. She smiled and picked it up, bringing it inside to open. Chloe was making coffee in the kitchen and pouring them both cups. She set the box down and opened it, plucking the envelope from the top first.

_I think this present speaks for itself._  
  
She peeled back the tissue, and this time she did start to cry. Because it was her favorite book as a child, in a leather-bound collectors edition.

"Alice's Adventures In Wonderland," Chloe said, having come around to see what the crying was about. "Bree, it's a kids book."

"It's my favorite book from childhood that I don't actually have a physical copy of, just a digital copy on my kindle," Aubrey said. "It's more than just a kids book to me, Chlo. I wish I knew who this was, because somehow they seem to know me perfectly."

Chloe wrapped her in a hug, so she wasn't tempted to cave and break her promise to Beca. Aubrey left to compose herself and wash her face, so she pulled her cell out and tapped a quick text to Beca.

_She cried. Happy tears, definitely. But she cried. You've got some moves, Mitchell._

Aubrey had taken the book into her room, laying it gently on her pillow. She ran a finger over the gold-embossed image on the front. If she didn't have a full day of classes ahead of her, she'd be sitting down and reading that book cover to cover. But she had classes to attend to, and she reluctantly left the book behind, though her thoughts drew back to it several times during the day.

When she got to Bellas rehearsal that afternoon, Beca nonchalantly asked what her secret admirer had left her that day. That drew the attention of the rest of the Bellas, and Aubrey was forced to explain the situation to the group of enraptured girls.

"That's so cute," Jessica said. "And romantic."

"How are you not going crazy trying to figure out who it is?" Ashley asked.

"I'm definitely curious," Aubrey said, "But I also kind of like the build up."

"Are you worried about who it might be?" Cynthia Rose asked.

"Not really," Aubrey said. "I know it's a girl, and they already seem to know a lot about me. I'm keeping an open mind." The girls allowed practice to resume. Toward the end as they recovered from cardio, Chloe quietly addressed Beca.

"She loved that book, Beca," Chloe said.

"I'm glad," Beca said. "I remember she said she used to sneak it home from the school library and read it late at night because her parents didn't like her reading stories when she could be reading educational texts."

"Oh," Chloe said. "I feel like I should have remembered that."

"But she still has no idea?" Beca asked.

"None," Chloe promised. Beca looked satisfied and Aubrey snapped them out of their conversation to wrap up the rehearsal. As Aubrey and Chloe headed back to their apartment, Chloe broke the normally fairly quiet walk with a question.

"So have you had any further ideas about who it is?" she said.

"I've been trying to persuade myself not to get too involved with figuring out who it is," Aubrey said. "But I am dying to know. Trying to be patient. Trying being the key word."

She fell asleep that night with the book opened on her chest.

The the next morning she opened her door part excited to see what was there and part nervous. Because as these gifts went on it was becoming pretty clear that this person was serious. And they knew her well. She also felt a little guilty at how much this must be costing them. Sure enough there was a box on the doormat. It was big and a little heavier than the others had been. She took it in and opened the note.

_Life blood of college students and doctors alike. Enjoy._  
  
She lifted the box and saw a range of coffee beans and syrups. It also held a travel mug emblazoned with the university logo. She smiled. Chloe entered the kitchen and peered over shoulder.

"Ooooh, good move," she said. "There's enough caffeine in there to keep you level for six months."

"I'm really starting to wish I knew who it was," Aubrey said. "You think I'd notice if someone was paying this much attention to me." Chloe kept a straight face. Aubrey was oblivious to the number of people who paid attention to her. Her best friend was smart and gorgeous and fearless. Pretty much the only thing she lacked was confidence in herself when it wasn't academia-related.

"Maybe the person is good at keeping a poker face," Chloe said. "Got any clues yet?"

"No, just what they seem to know about me," Aubrey said. "Some of this stuff I haven't told many people like about the book. And my favorite color? Who would know that specific shade of blue is my favorite?" Chloe just shrugged and casually picked up some beans and inhaled deeply.

"They smell good," Chloe said. "Good taste in coffee."

"I'm gonna make some," Aubrey said. "You want a cup?"

"Sure," Chloe said. She made them both cups of coffee and then went back to her room. Chloe had been right - the coffee was good. She opened her laptop and for all of five seconds pretended that she was going to do some study. Then she sighed.

Pulling out a legal pad, she made a bulleted list on one side of all the things she'd received from her admirer, and down the other side she wrote about what the gift indicated the person knew about her. She figured she'd add to it for a couple more days and then see what people would conceivably know those things about her. After she'd re-read the lists a few times, she flipped to a new page and made a list of names of girls who might know personal details about herself. She didn't want to seem conceited, but she also didn't want to leave anyone out. She added a fair few names, and then when she'd finished the list, she stuck the notepad in the bottom of a drawer, lest Chloe stumble upon it and know what she was up to.

On Sunday morning the box was a lot smaller. Aubrey looked at it for a moment, fresh mug of admirer-provided coffee in hand. But curiosity was always going to win out and she picked up the envelope.

_Because you've always known where you were headed._  
  
She opened the box and saw a ceramic based snow globe. It was a New York skyline. She shook it and watched the artificial snow float through the globe. It was pretty.

And she had always known that she wanted to move to New York. She'd already applied to every respectable New York based med program she could think of. Her grades were perfect, her extracurriculars were extensive and her professors had been more than happy to deliver recommendations. A few of them had offered her acceptance already pending her MCAT score was to their standard, and she was hoping that she'd scored enough to go to Weill Cornell or Columbia. She wasn't too worried though, because she was pretty sure she had absolutely nailed the MCAT. She'd find out sometime soon since letters were due to come out any day now.

She took the snow globe into her bedroom and set it on the dresser. There was a small accumulation of stuff there now, envelopes stacked together alongside the gifts (save for the book that was still sitting in a place of honor on her nightstand). She had even kept the cardboard sleeve from her cup of coffee from her breakfast on the second morning.

She quickly slid the list out of its hidden place in the drawer and added that day's gift. Unfortunately it wouldn't help narrow down the potential field - basically everyone in any of her classes and all of her friends, professors and TAs knew that she was set on med school in New York.

Monday morning brought a box that smelled a little flowery but was too heavy to be actual flowers. She brought it inside and opened it on the kitchen bench. It was, as the envelope proclaimed, a relaxing bath pack. Aubrey poked around at its contents for a moment and was regarding the box with a look of serious contemplation.

"What are you staring at?" Chloe asked. "Pretty basic gift really." She was almost literally screaming inside but knew she couldn't get in the way of Beca's plan.

"You'd think that," Aubrey said quietly "Chloe, what's the number one floral scent people associate with relaxation and calming?"

"Lavender," Chloe replied. "There's a reason so many baby products are laced with the stuff. But aren't you allergic to lavender?"

"Exactly," Aubrey responded. "Take a look in the box, Chloe." Chloe looked inside, examining a few more of the products a bit more carefully. She knew what Aubrey was getting at.

"Huh," was all she said.

"None of them have even a little bit of lavender in them," Aubrey said. "This person knows the single allergy that I have." Chloe knew that Beca knew this. The brunette had spotted a fairly heavy duty antihistamine on the counter top one morning. She'd recalled her mother had used the same brand when her hayfever was kicking her ass and Chloe had casually mentioned that Aubrey's dry cleaner had switched to a lavender scented softener and as a result her allergies had kicked into high gear.

Beca Mitchell, it seemed, really had been filing away every single little bit of information that she could.

She had to wait til that evening to take a bath, but when she had finished, she indeed felt relaxed. Hot water and a mix of chamomile and jasmine had put her in a severely blissed out state of mind. She joined Chloe in the living room for dinner, seeing that Beca was also joining them. They were already opening containers of Chinese food when she settled into the couch.

"Good bath?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Aubrey said. She snagged some chopsticks and picked up a container. Seeing that there was squid inside, she immediately wrinkled her nose and put it down, grabbing another.

"See, Chlo! Nobody eats that nasty squid shit but you," Beca said, pointing her own chopsticks at the redhead. Chloe rolled her eyes. Aubrey just smiled as they bickered, eating her noodles.

"Back me up, here, Bree," Beca said, "Seafood is almost exclusively nasty."

"Hate to pick a side, but I'm with Beca on this," Aubrey agreed. "Never been able to stomach it. You're a Florida girl so you grew up with fresh seafood all the time, but yeah, no." Beca gloated triumphantly.

"So how's the admirer deal going?" she asked Aubrey.

"Pretty well," Aubrey said. "I'm really flattered. This person knows me so well, I feel bad not picking up that they were this interested in me. I also feel a little bad that they're spending so much money on this thing. I'd honestly be happy with a picnic or something simple. Not that I'm not grateful though."

"Well, maybe the person didn't want to let on that they were interested," Beca said. "First couple months of the year, I thought you were hella intimidating and kinda hard to get a read on. Now, obviously I'd say you're nothing like that."

"I don't know, she can still be intimidating when she goes into Boss Mode," Chloe said. Beca nodded.

"As for the money thing, I say milk it," Beca said. "Clearly they got money to burn. And you deserve nice things, Aubrey. And to be spoiled. So if someone wants to spoil you, I say let them."

"I'm taking full advantage," Aubrey confirmed. They ate the rest of the meal with only occasional chatter and then Beca said she had to return to campus. After she'd left, Aubrey went back to the room and again pulled out her notepad, updating it with that day's developments. She decided on an early night for once and turned in to finish reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. As she sleepily put the book down some time later, she was reminded of what Beca had said.

_You deserve nice things, Aubrey. And to be spoiled._

She fleetingly thought that it had been a really sweet thing to say before she fell asleep.

There hadn't been a box when Aubrey had left for her morning classes. She wasn't worried though, there hadn't actually been a promise that every single box had to be there first thing in the morning. She was almost the whole way through her physiology class when her phone beeped with a text from Chloe.

_Postman tried to deliver a signature-only letter to you before I left for class this morn. MCAT? Pick up at PO with ID._

Aubrey's stomach immediately swooped. She needed to get out of this class right now. There was only ten minutes left, so she sat impatiently, bouncing her knee until the professor let them out. She immediately hurried to her car and then the local post office. She showed her ID to the clerk and signed hastily in the box to receive her letter. It was from the AAMC, so there was no doubt this was her MCAT result.

She managed to wait until she got back into her car to tear the letter open and scanned it looking for the number. When she finally found the number, her jaw dropped. It was higher than she'd even imagined. Her hands were shaking and she pulled out her phone to call Chloe.

"Hello?" Chloe's voice came. "Bree?"

"I nailed it," she said with a wobbly voice. "Chloe, I scored a 525."

"525!?" Chloe said. "Holy shit, Bree!"

"I know," she said, sniffling. "I did it."

"Yeah you did," Chloe said. "Jesus. Happy tears?"

"Happy," Aubrey confirmed. "Weill Cornell wanted a 518. That's it, Chloe, I'm going to med school."

"I'm hella proud of you," Chloe said. "We'll celebrate soon, okay?"

"Okay," Aubrey said. "I think I need to sit here for a minute before I drive."

"Good idea," Chloe said. "But don't be too long, you don't want to miss Chem. Professor Dougherty will flip out when she hears." Chloe was right. The Chem professor had eagerly written her recommendation for Aubrey, asking her to keep her posted of the progress. So she waited a few moments until she had stopped shaking, then tapped out an email to her father. She wasn't expecting a call of congratulations, since med school was seen as an inferior choice to law school, but she still wanted to keep him posted. When she got to her Chemistry lab, she immediately approached the professor.

"Professor Dougherty?" Aubrey said. "I wanted to tell you that I just got my MCAT back." The professor looked up from her desk, giving her full attention to the senior.

"And?" she said. Aubrey handed her the letter. Once the woman got to the actual figure, she let out a little shriek. "Sorry. Aubrey, that's incredible. Honestly. Pretty sure it's the highest MCAT of any student I've taught. Congratulations."

"Thanks," Aubrey said. "And also for your recommendation. Looks like I'm off to my first choice school. They wanted a 518."

"Well they got it, and more," the professor said. Aubrey settled into her normal spot, but couldn't get the smile off of her face. When she got home that evening, she was greeted with a white box. She pulled the envelope off and brought them inside.

_I know this is an unusual combination, but I hear congratulations are in order._

She opened the box and saw a bottle of champagne in a cooler sleeve, and a box of cookies. She opened it. They were definitely home made, and they smelled amazing. A variety of heart shaped cookies with sugary icing on top. But she had to deal with the obvious first.

"Chloe!" she called. Chloe came out of her bedroom into the kitchen.

"Yeah?" she said. "Sweet champagne."

"You know who my secret admirer is," she said. Chloe balked. "They said congratulations were in order. And I told you, my dad, and Professor Dougherty. So unless there's something very unethical going on, you know who it is."

The two of them had debated this. Beca had decided she didn't mind the idea of a few hints being dropped the closer it got to Valentine's Day. She thought it might feel better to give Aubrey a chance to make a more informed decision. The champagne was because Beca actually did want them to celebrate. And yes it would indicate that Chloe knew, but Chloe could then assure Aubrey that things were okay.

"Yes," Chloe said. "I do. I didn't know at first, but they approached me. And I was with them today when you called about the MCAT." Aubrey drummed her fingers on the countertop.

"You're not going to tell me who it is, are you?" she asked.

"No chance," Chloe said firmly. "But I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed." Aubrey thought it over for a few more moments and then yanked the drawer open and pulled out a corkscrew.

"Then let's pop this champagne because I blew the MCATs out of the god damn water," she said proudly.

She was still riding the high of her MCAT score the next morning when she opened her front door. That morning's gift wasn't actually on the doormat, it was lined up along the wall next to the door. It was a simple wooden of rack holding a series of individual flowers. Each of them had a small card attached.

Aubrey picked the entire rack up and they brought it into the kitchen. There were four flowers. The first was a purple rose. The gilded card simply read _Enchantment_. There was a red tulip next, the card bearing the words _Perfect Love._ The yellow iris's card said _Passion._ And the last was a gardenia that said _Secret Love._ They were all beautiful, and Aubrey opened an envelope that was taped to the stand.

_Four very clear meanings. I don't think I need to elaborate._

That was all it said. Aubrey inspected the little stand and saw that each flower was in a tiny vase of its own, with water. So she knew they'd be fine for the day. Chloe came out after Aubrey had left for class, and spotted the flowers. She read the cards and then picked up her cell phone to call Beca.

"Hello?" Beca's voice came.

"Beca, those are some pretty intense flowers," Chloe said. "Perfect Love?"

"I wanted romantic flowers," Beca said. "And roses are cliché."

"They're gorgeous, don't get me wrong," Chloe said. "But this isn't just a little cute game for you, is it?"

"Jeez, Chlo, what gave that away?" Beca said sarcastically. "Dude, I don't make elaborate plans spoiling a beautiful and intelligent woman just for fun. I'm serious about Aubrey. I think she's gorgeous and smart and creative and thoughtful and talented and ambitious and determined and they're all things I'm incredibly attracted to. I think we'd be a good match. I just need her to give me a shot."

"You realize you could just talk to her," Chloe said. "That'd be easier. And cheaper." Beca sighed into the phone.

"At our first Bella bonding night that didn't involve alcohol, Aubrey said something that stuck with me. She said she'd never really had anyone interested in her who seemed to notice the little things," Beca explained. "Which I personally think is criminal, but that's not the point. The point is she deserves that. She deserves someone to take an interest and she deserves someone who might spoil her from time to time. And if I get to be the one doing it, that's great. If she sees that it's me and changes her mind, at least I got to make her happy for a couple of weeks." Chloe waited a beat. That was sweet. And Beca Mitchell wasn't always sweet.

"Okay," Chloe said. "I just thought you should know you didn't have to do all of this."

"I know," Beca said. "But I want to." They chatted about a few other things and Chloe let her go so she could get to class.

When Aubrey got home, she pulled the list out of her drawer and read over the potential names, deciding she wanted to try and figure this out. She wanted to know who would go to all this effort just to make her happy. Then she began cross checking facts with names, crossing them off as she found names of people who wouldn't know certain things. She crossed off some classmates who were a bit too casual-acquaintance to know personal details of her life. She crossed off Chloe, and Denise and Cynthia Rose. Yes they were all open to dating girls but the two younger Bellas were trying to work through their own relationship, and Chloe, well, she would have been an idiot if she hadn't noticed the redhead was in love with her.

When she was done there were four names left. Two classmates - Ashlyn and Tamara, and two Bellas - Stacie and Beca. Some of the things - the things about her childhood - she'd not shared with just anybody. But there was still a few days before it all came to a close, so there was a chance she'd get some more clues.

The next morning there was a small red box on the stoop, only a few inches square. Aubrey knew what kinds of things came in boxes that size. It made her a little nervous. She opened the envelope first.

_Almost over._

Then she opened the box. It narrowed the field down, definitely. The box held a silver necklace with a pendant shaped like a treble clef attached. Her nerves faded when she saw there were no gemstones in it to speak of, so they hadn't completely gone crazy with spending money. But it was still beautiful, because it represented something that was an important part of her life.

A part that both Ashlyn and Tamara didn't understand. They didn't get why she devoted so much time and energy to the Bellas when she was chasing a career in medicine. To them it seemed a waste of time. They wouldn't buy a gift like this, she just didn't see how either of them would bother. And just like that, they were off the list.

So she was left with either Stacie or Beca. She mused on her two prospects for a while. She wouldn't be entirely displeased with either girl being on the other side of her door on Sunday. But, that being said, earlier in the year she had admitted to herself that she was attracted to Beca. She knew that she had plenty of time to explore that herself, but she was much more focused on getting into med school, and didn't really believe that Beca would like her at all. So whilst Stacie was also an attractive girl, she was kind of hoping it was Beca. She went into her bedroom and read through her notes again, checking and thinking back, but she came up with the same conclusion. Stacie or Beca.

Chloe found her sitting at her desk fiddling with the pendant between her fingers. Aubrey realized her detective game was over.

"What's this?" Chloe said, pointing to the notepad.

"I did some educated guessing," Aubrey said.

"And?" Chloe asked.

"If I guess right, will you tell me?" she asked.

"No," Chloe said. "It's a couple more days, you'll make it. Who's on your list?"

"Well, this morning there were four names and now there's only two," Aubrey said. "Stacie and Beca."

"And how do you feel about those names?" Chloe asked casually.

"I don't know," Aubrey said. "Favorable?"

"You don't sound entirely convinced," Chloe said.

"It's all very real now," Aubrey said. "And I really am okay with either of them being behind this. But I need some time to digest it, I think."

"You want me to leave you alone and we can talk about it later?" Chloe asked. She knew how Aubrey operated with things like this. The blonde nodded, so she squeezed her shoulder and left her alone.

That afternoon they had a Bellas practice. During their cardio recovery break, they all talked about their favorite albums, which caused Beca to think about changing the following days gift. Chloe could see that something was up and cornered Beca afterward, roping her into a coffee so she could update her.

"She's been narrowing it down," Chloe said. "She's got a list and everything."

"Am I still on the list?" Beca asked.

"Yep. You and Stacie are the last girls standing," Chloe said.

"I think the next present is going to give it away," Beca said. "I changed my mind about tomorrow's gift and I need to go sort out something, hopefully I can find it. She's probably going to say it's too much but..."

"What is it?" Chloe asked. Beca just smiled at her.

"You'll see tomorrow," she promised. Chloe playfully narrowed her eyes at Beca. She did like being the inside man to Aubrey's admirer adventure.

"Can I ask you a delicate question?" Chloe asked.

"Sure," Beca said.

"How are you affording this? Flowers and jewelry and stethoscopes?" she asked. Beca looked suddenly very awkward.

"Uh-"

"You aren't selling drugs are you? Or putting it all on credit?" Chloe asked. Beca ran a hand through her hair.

"No!" Beca said. "You're probably gonna be mad I didn't tell you sooner but I'm not really good with talking about my success, you get that, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I wrote a couple of songs and sent them to some studios to try and get an internship or something and they got bought," she said casually.

"Oh my god!" Chloe said. "Wow, Beca that's amazing. Who bought them?"

"Um, you know. Capitol Records pitched two of them to Katy Perry," Beca mumbled. "Probably gonna be on her next album." Chloe smacked her arm.

"ARE YOU JOKING, BECA MITCHELL?" she exclaimed. Beca rubbed her arm and shrugged.

"No?" Beca said. "They want me to pitch a few more in a month or so, but they liked the two I sent. Apparently I have a good ear for pop hooks. So, not really struggling for cash for the moment."

"Wow. What are you going to do? Drop out of school?"

"I mean, if you'd asked me that at the start of the year I would have said yes, but I'm kind of invested in the girls now," Beca said. "I'll think about it."

"I'm really happy for you Becs," Chloe said. "After you guys deal with this Valentine's thing we'll have to get everyone together for a celebration. Your songs and Aubrey's MCAT. And you should be really proud. I know you don't find it easy to talk positive about yourself, but this is actually a really big deal and you should feel good about it."

"Okay," Beca said. "And I guess it is pretty cool."

"Pretty cool? You'll buy Katy Perry's album and hear a song you wrote. That's fucking awesome," Chloe corrected. "Alright. Go sort out the replacement present. I'll call you with feedback tomorrow." Beca nodded and headed away.

The next morning was the biggest box yet, and the heaviest. Chloe appeared just as she was about to open it the envelope.

"That is a hefty looking present," she said.

"Yeah, I know," Aubrey said. She opened the envelope.

_I hear you've been doing some detective work. How about you kick back and relax instead? Play some music._

Aubrey opened the lid of the massive box and her jaw dropped. It was one of those turntables in a hard case, the kind favored by hipsters who liked the aesthetic more than they liked the music. She pulled it out and opened the lid, seeing the one album she'd mentioned in conversation with the girls yesterday. Etta James, At Last. Though most people would assume she loved the title track, she actually preferred Stormy Weather. But she gently placed the needle onto the record, smiling as the smooth music filled the room.

Chloe was saying something to her, but she wasn't really paying attention. Because she was certain that this gift wouldn't have come from Stacie. Yesterday had been the first time she'd talked about her love of Etta James to the others, and she highly doubted that she would have had time to track down a vinyl copy of an Etta James album in one afternoon. Beca, on the other hand, would have the resources to find such an item.

She didn't say anything to Chloe, just waited until the first song played through and then lifted the needle off. The redhead was watching her thoughtfully. She picked up the turntable carefully and took it into her bedroom. She didn't come back out, so Chloe just left her in there.

Inside the bedroom, Aubrey was sitting at her desk, the turntable sitting on her bed. Unless she'd missed something blatantly obvious, Beca was the one behind all this. It was… surprising. But she was glad it was Beca. She'd been hoping it was her since she had whittled about half of the list down and seen her name nestled between Chloe and Stacie.

She had no idea that Beca felt that strongly about her. It was a little overwhelming even. And this whole admirer thing was really touching. Beca seemed to know a lot about her - more than she had originally suspected. She had some serious decisions to make about what she was going to do. Obviously she was going to go on the date with her. But could they be more than that? If she was going to explore the possibility of this relationship with her, would it survive long distance? Beca was clear about her feelings.

She didn't even realize she'd missed two classes. She got up and readied herself for Bellas rehearsal, not even sure how she'd be able to stop from revealing that she knew. Beca met her eyes as she came in, surely able to feel Aubrey's stare from across the room. The dark blue seemed to change in expression slightly and a nervous smile made its way across her face. Aubrey could only return the smile.

The next morning there was just an envelope in front of the door. It was thicker than the others had all been. She came inside and sat down on the couch and opened it up. There was two folded letters inside. The first was a typical short note.

_I'm pretty sure you've figured out who I am. I know initially anonymity was the name of the game, but I'm actually glad you know. Because now I know if you open the door, it's because you feel at least something for me. I'll be at your door at six pm tomorrow night. Casual._

Aubrey was actually looking forward to it. She would wait out the last day, even though she wouldn't mind seeing the brunette right now. She unfolded the second letter.

_Dear Aubrey_

_I don't know if this qualifies as a gift entirely. I just remember that so many times, during the year, there were so many times when you confused me. Weird thing to say when I claim to like you so much, right? But hear me out. You're so confident, most of the time. Like when it comes to your brains. You know things absolutely, and you don't doubt that. But when it comes to other things, you're not so sure. And that just baffles me._

_Because you're beautiful. So beautiful. You're kind and easy to talk to. You love your friends fiercely, and you're loyal to the people in your life. You're strong as hell, and brave, flouting the expected traditions of your family to go to med school, all without their support._

_I don't know why you can't see those things. Why you would be so disbelieving that someone might be interested in you. Because there are so many people who look at you and think you're incredible. Like me. Yes, I find you attractive and hopefully this can be the start of something between us. But I'm also inspired by you. To make bold leaps for my career. To not be held back by people who don't support me. And to find friendship where family fails._

_Even if what we have doesn't last, I don't want you to doubt yourself any more. You are way better than you give yourself credit for._

It wasn't signed, but Aubrey was finding herself choked up reading it. Beca might be awkward and stumbling through most of her daily interactions with people but on paper she could be very eloquent, apparently. Aubrey had no idea how she was supposed to make it to the following night now.

She managed it, just barely. Chloe had sensed that she was getting increasingly nervous throughout the day and had reassured her that she was going to be fine, regardless of who was on the other side of the door. Aubrey hadn't mentioned to her that she'd gotten down to the one name, just in case there was a remotely tiny chance it was Stacie. She'd still go out with Stacie, but she wanted it to be Beca. She wanted it to be Beca badly.

Chloe had left the apartment at about five, figuring the two wouldn't need an audience. She'd get a play by play from both involved parties anyway. So Aubrey was ready, early, and waiting on the couch watching seconds tick past, bringing the torturously slow hands of the clock closer to six. At 5:57 she got up and stood behind the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, staying there in silence until there was a soft knock on the door. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and she grasped the knob, saying one last silent prayer that it would be Beca behind the door.

And she was. She was there, hands shoved into her jacket pockets awkwardly like she was nervous.

"Hi," she said softly. Aubrey couldn't help herself, she immediately pulled Beca into her arms and kissed her hard. Beca made a surprised noise but responded eagerly for a few moments until the blonde pulled back far enough to rest their foreheads together.

"Hi," she whispered.

"I'm going to take the kissing as a good sign," Beca said. "But I was hoping we could go out before we get too carried away with anything else."

"Beca, I'm glad it was you," Aubrey said. "Thank you. For all of this. For the letter, especially. I don't think you realize how much all these gifts have meant to me. Though I have some concerns about how-"

"No," Beca said, squeezing her hand. "No concerns. I'll explain everything later, but there's a private little drive in and a picnic waiting for us."

"But you hate movies," Aubrey said, pulling the door closed.

"But you don't," Beca said. "I'll sit through movies if I get to sit next to you." Aubrey leaned in and kissed her again.

"But why?" she asked in an almost too-quiet voice.

"Because," Beca said simply. "You have no idea how amazing you are, do you? If something comes out of all this, Aubrey, I'm going to spend a lot of time convincing you of your own worth, I hope you know that." Beca's fingers gently traced her hairline as she pushed some hair back behind her ear.

"Okay," Aubrey said. She slid her hand into Beca's. "I'm ready. Let's go."


End file.
